Menu rack backer



Oct. 26, 1965 E, E. BUCHANAN 3,214,028

MENU RACK BACKER Filed April 23, 1964 3l /4 3 Q0 30 W f f30 if Hlm c m 33 26 @l 22 26 5, 30

,U/mZz/ (20 i733 INVEN TOR. Ease/U5 E. BUG/@MAW United States Patent O 3,214,028 MENU RACK BACKER Eugene E. Buchanan, 41291/2 N. Maybank, Lakewood, Calif. Filed Apr. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 361,943 6 Claims. (Cl. 211-13) This invention relates generally to menu racks, and more particularly concerns a menu backer adapted for combination with a particular type menu rack to prevent inadvertent mishandling or damaging of a menu during its replacement in and withdrawal from the rack.

The use of certain menu racks is attended by considerable difiiculty or inconvenience, particularly as regards insertion of menus in their rack holders, and as a consequence menus may fall from the rack onto the table or floor and be damaged. Such racks are characterized as having transversely spaced pairs of uprights, each pair including front and rear uprights or fingers with suiicient spacing formed therebetween as to receive downward insertion of a menu to be held in generally upright condition by the fingers.

It is a major object of the invention to provide a novel menu hacker adapted for combination with the above type rack and characterized as overcoming the problems of replacement and withdrawal of menus from the rack. The hacker is constructed in the form of an upright, typically plastic sheet containing transversely spaced vertical recesses exposed at the lower edge of the sheet to receive upward penetration of the rear uprights, the recesses also terminating interiorly of the sheet and below the level of an upper edge thereof to limit the penetration of the rear uprights therein. Further, the overall transverse width of the sheet exceeds the transverse spacing of the recesses to provide full backing extent for the menu, and the sheet thickness between each recess and the menu backing front face of the sheet is substantially less than the spacing formed between the front and rear uprights in order to easily accommodate the menu between said front face and the front uprights of the rack. Also, the recesses are sized to -closely receive the rear uprights in order that the sheet may be retained in fixed position thereon and not be pulled loose upon withdrawal of a menu from lightly wedged condition between the sheet and the front upright.

Other unusual features of the invention include the provision of protuberances within the recesses to reduce the effective thickness dimensions thereof at locations spaced sufliciently upwardly from the sheet lower edge that the rear uprights become frictionally gripped by the protuberances when penetration of the recesses by the rear uprights nears completion. This construction facilitates the assembly and disassembly of the hacker and rack, without removing the desirable frictional gripping of the hacker and rack uprights for holding the hacker against inadvertent release. Finally, the plastic sheet is usually constructed to comprise a pair of sub-sheets which are integral at their transversely spaced and upper edge portions, so that the main bodies of the sub-sheets are spaced apart, the hacker including structure between the sub-sheets to form the transversely spaced boundaries of the recesses.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment, will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective showing the front of a menu rack and the hacker assembled thereon to show the overall design;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevation partly broken away to show the interfitting of the rack and hacker;

l 3,214,028 Patented Oct. 26, 1965 ICC FIG. 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary showing of a rear side portion of the front sub-sheet of the hacker.

In the drawings the menu rack 10 has transversely spaced pairs 11 and 12 of upright members, each pair including front and rear uprights 13 and 14 having sui cient spacing formed therebetween to receive downward 'insertion of a menu to be then held in upright condition by the uprights. The lower portions of the uprights are suitably joined together as at 15, and the front uprights carry horizontally elongated strips or bars 16, 17 and 18 provided with turned ends at 19 for protectively retaining containers for sugar and other edibles. The menu hacker 20 is in the form of an upright molded plastic sheet member of overall transverse width exceeding the transverse spacing of the uprights, and having a smooth front face 21 extending in a flat vertical plane which passes between the front and rear uprights 13 and 14. Sheet member 20 comprises a pair of thin sub-sheets 22 and 23 which are integral at their transversely spaced edge portions 24 and at their upper edge portions 25, in such manner that the main bodies of the sub-sheets are spaced apart. Typically, the integral edge portions described are bonded together, or `they may be molded integrally if the sheet member 20 is molded as a one-piece unit.

The sheet member 20 contains transversely spaced vertical recesses 26 exposed at the lower edge 28 of the sheet member to receive upward penetration of the rear uprights 14, the recesses terminating interiorly of the sheet member below the level of upper edge 2S and sized to closely receive the rear uprights 14 in order that the sheet member may be retained in fixed position thereon.

In particular, there is structure in the form of plastic strips 30 extending vertically between the sub-sheets to perform the dual functions of holding the main bodies of the sub-sheets in parallel spaced relation and also to form the transversely spaced boundaries of the recesses, sized as described above. Strips 30 may be bonded to both sub-sheets 22 and 23, or integrally molded therewith.

The function of proper sheet member retention on the uprights 14 is achieved by providing protuberances 31 exposed within the recesses 26 to reduce the effective thickness dimension thereof at locations spaced sufficiently upwardly from the sheet member lower edge that uprights 14 become frictionally gripped by the protuberances when penetration of the recesses 26 by the uprights nears completion, as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. At such times, the upper portions of the uprights 14 are squeezed between the protuberances 31 and the inner face of the rear sheet, and sufficient spacing remains at 33 between the front face 21 of backer 20 and front uprights 13 for insertion of a menu. The size of this spacing may be easily adjusted as desired for menu insertion by merely pushing rearwardly against the hacker 20 to deflect the uprights 14 simultaneously away from uprights 13. When the backer is released, it then springs back under urging of uprights 14 to lightly clamp the inserted menu along a major portion of its face, holding it in position.

It will be noted that the protuberances 31 are spaced suiciently above the lower edge 2S of the backer that the upper portions of uprights 14 become engaged thereagainst as the lower edge 28 approaches the limiting position shown in FIG. l. Such limiting is effected by the turned or shouldered portions 34 of uprights extending beneath edge 28. Also, the strips 30 act to guide the uprights 14 into vertical engagement with the protuberances 31. A strengthening strip of plastic 36 is carried between sub-sheets 22 and 23, and between the strips 30. Sufficient of the backer 20 extends above the level of the front uprights 13 as to aiord extensive backing for an inserted menu, as well as to provide substantial leverage for rearward deection of rear uprights 14 and to provide extensive advertising display space facing a restaurant customer.

1. For use with a menu rack having transversely spaced pairs of upright members, each pair including front and rear uprights having sucient spacing formed therebetween to receive downward insertion of a menu to be then held in generally upright condition by the uprights, a menu backer in the form of an upright plastic sheet member containing transversely spaced vertical recesses eX- posed at the lower edge of thek sheet member to receive upward penetration of the rear uprights, said recesses terminating interiorly of the sheet member and below the level of an upper edge thereof, the overall transverse width of the sheet member exceeding the transverse spacing of the recesses, the recesses being sized to closely receive said rear uprights whereby the sheet member may be retained in `fixed position thereon.

2. The menu backer of claim 1 in which the sheet member has a smooth front face extending in a flat vertical plane, and the sheet member carries protuberances exposed within said recesses to reduce the effective thick ness dimensions thereof at locations spa-ced sufficiently upwardly from said lower edge that the rear uprights become frictionally gripped by said protuberances when penetration of the recesses by said rear uprights nears cornpletion.

3. The menu backer of claim 1 in which the plastic sheet member comprises a pair of sub-sheets which are integral at their transversely spaced and upper edge portions so that the main bodies of the sub-sheets are spaced apart, thebacker including structure between said subsheets to form the transversely spaced boundaries of said recesses.

4. In combination, a menu rack having transversely spaced pairs of upright members, each pair including front and rear uprights having sufcient spacing formed therebetween to receive downward insertion of a menu to be then held in generally upright condition by the uprights, a menu backer in the form of an upright plastic sheet member containing transversely spaced vertical recesses exposed at the lower edge of the sheet member to receive upward penetration of the rear uprights, said recesses terminating interiorly of the sheet member and below the level of an upper edge thereof, the overall transverse width of the sheet member exceeding the transverse spacing of the recesses, the recesses being sized to closely receive said rear uprights whereby the sheet member may be retained in fixed position thereon.

5. The combination of claim 4 in which the sheet member has. a smooth front face extending in a flat vertical plane, and the sheet member carries protuberances ex posed within said recesses to reduce the effective thickness dimensions thereof at locations spaced sufliciently upwardly from said lower edge that the rear uprights become frictionally gripped by said protuberances when penetration of the recesses by said rear uprights nears completion.

6. The combination of claim 4 in which the plastic sheet member comprises a pair of sub-sheets which are integral at their transversely spaced and upper edge portions so that the main bodies of the sub-sheets are spaced apart, the backer including structure between said sub-sheets to form the transversely spaced boundaries of said recesses.

References Cited. by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,548,483 4/51 Leitman 211-89 2,825,160 3/58 Mellor 40-10 2,846,795 8/58 Balaban 40-10 3,079,724 3/63 Harvel 24S- 33 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. 

4. IN COMBINATION, A MENU RACK HAVING TRANSVERSELY SPACED PAIRS OF UPRIGHT MEMBERS, EACH PAIR INCLUDING FRON AND REAR UPRIGHTS HAVING SUFFICIENT SPACING FORMED THEREBETWEEN TO RECEIVE DOWNWARD INSERTION OF A MENU TO BE THEN HELD IN GENERALLY UPRIGHT CONDITION BY THE UPRIGHTS, A MENU BACKER IN THE FORM OF AN UPRIGHT PLASTIC SHEET MEMBER CONTAINING TRANSVERSELY SPACED VERTICAL RECESSES EXPOSED AT THE LOWER EDGE OF THE SHEET MEMBER TO RECEIVE UPWARD PENETRATION OF THE REAR UPRIGHTS, SAID RECESSES TERMINATING INTERIORLY OF THE SHEET MEMBER AND BELOW THE LEVEL OF AN UPPER EDGE THEREOF, THE OVERALL TRANSVERSE WIDTH OF THE SHEET MEMBER EXCEEDING THE TRANSVERSE SPACING OF THE RECESSES, THE RECESSES BEING SIZED TO CLOSELY RECEIVE SAID REAR UPRIGHTS WHEREBY THE SHEET MEMBER MAY BE RETAINED IN FIXED POSTION THEREON. 